Were What?
by Goth Albino Angel
Summary: Sarah and Scarlet have a secret. What will happen when the rest of the gang finds out? Some Alma/Sarah Button/Scarlet romance in here, but mostly centered around Sarah and Scarlet.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is an idea that popped into my head a while back when I saw that episode when Sarah first came ot Horseland. So check this out and tell me how you like it. **_

_**I don't own Horseland.**_

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><p>"Hey Sarah!"<p>

Sarah turned to see her friends coming toward her and smiled. "Hey guys, what's up?" she asked.

Will grinned at her. "The gang and I were going out to the park for a midnight picnic. We were wondering if you would like to join us."

Sarah's senses tingled and she sighed. "Sorry guys," she said. "I can't go tonight. I'm not all that up for a midnight picnic tonight. Maybe the next time you guys go?"

The others nodded with disappointed faces. Bailey perked up and waggled his eyebrows. "Pity, I thought I heard you say that you loved the full moon. It's going to be out tonight."

The blonde shook her head. "No, I said I didn't like the full moon, Bailey. Remember that was the game where we named things we didn't like and we had to give a reason?"

"Oh yeah," Bailey muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, then, we'll see you later tonight when we get back." Will told her.

"Bye Sarah." They all chorused before going out.

Sarah went back to brushing Scarlet. She gave a forlorn sigh and Scarlet nuzzled her hand. Sarah smiled and stroked Scarlet's mane. "I wanted to go with them, but that would ruin the secret. I'll be fine girl. I think I'll head inside until the sun goes down."

Scarlet whinnied in agreement and headed into her own stall. Sarah went back into the house and prepared herself for the coming darkness. When the sun fully set about fifteen minutes after the gang had left, she hurried outside to Scarlet. There was a commotion in the stable and Sarah didn't want Bailey's parents to come see what was going on before she could get Scarlet out. The blonde approached her Arabian and they both took off into the night. When they were safely in the cover of the forest, Sarah slowed Scarlet so that the horse could rest.

"Good girl," she whispered to her. "Ugh, I just met these people a year ago and they're my friends. They think they know everything about me when they don't know one small thing. Oh Scarlet, I wish I could tell them. It's hard keeping a secret from them."

Scarlet nuzzled her shoulder and Sarah stroked her pelt. "Yeah, I guess you're right, huh? We have to keep it a secret. We don't want another episode like Ponyville."

The two stayed in the forest for the rest of the night. About an hour or so past midnight, Sarah heard her friends walking along a path near them. Peeking out of the bushes, she saw them walking up the trail. Alma stopped when she noticed Sarah's eyes peeking at her from the branches.

"Sarah?" she asked.

"What was that, Alma?" The others had turned to her and she looked back at the bush. Sarah hastily climbed a nearby tree and watched Alma turn back. "Nothing," she muttered. "I was just thinking about Sarah is all."

They all nodded in agreement. Sarah peered at them from the tree and decided to follow them since it wasn't that long until dawn. Every once in a while, she would look back to make sure her Arabian was following, but it was unnecessary since she could hear if Scarlet was behind her. The group of friends made it to the ranch a few minutes before the sun was supposed to come up. Sarah waited until her friends' backs were turned before leading Scarlet into the stable and locking her in her stall.

The rider gave Scarlet a pat and chuckled. "Maybe next time, don't try to get out of your stall on your own. You caused quite a ruckus last night."

Scarlet whinnied in understanding and Sarah stole out of the barn. She climbed up to her window, not feeling like going through the door. In just a few seconds, the sun rose above the horizon and she breathed a sigh of relief. She went down to the kitchen to cook herself something to eat. Everyone, including the twins Chloe and Zoey, were already down there eating. They glanced up at the blonde before going back to talking and eating. Sarah quickly made herself a beef sandwich (heavy on the beef), and sat down next to Molly.

"Hey Sarah," she greeted her friend. "You missed a really awesome party last night." Sarah chuckled and took a bite of her sandwich.

"Sarah, why are you eating meat that's not bacon so early in the morning?" Will asked her playfully.

The blonde shrugged and continued munching on her beef sandwich. "I prefer meat more than any other food." she murmured through my meal.

The others looked at her strangely but shrugged it off. When breakfast was over, the gang went out to practice on jumping. Moving into a line and taking turns, Sarah leaned down to Scarlet's ear.

"Remember, Girl," she whispered softly to her horse. "Keep the power to a minimum so we don't get caught."

"Don't get caught doing what?" Molly asked from behind them.

Sarah stole a glance at her before saying, "Nothing. It's nothing Molly. Really." Molly stared at her curiously and Sarah took that moment to take her turn. She guided Scarlet through the different jumps even though it was unnecessary; her mare agilely jumped over the elevated poles with ease, making sure to graze the tops of them so nothing looked suspicious. The others applauded the duo as they got back into line.

Sarah gave Scarlet a gentle pat and whispered, "Good Girl."

She whinnied in thanks and practice continued. Scarlet soon tired of jumping and refused to move toward the poles. Sarah patted her coat and found artificial sweat.

"Ok Girl," she murmured. "Hey guys?" the blonde called. "I'm taking Scarlet in, she's a bit tired." They nodded to her and continued practicing.

"Scarlet," Sarah scolded gently. "Just because something annoys you doesn't mean that you can just pretend to be tired to get out of it."

Scarlet whinnied in disagreement and her rider smiled. "Fine, but if they knew what you'd done, we'd be in trouble. Besides, this is one secret, I know we can keep."

Sarah sighed as she rubbed Scarlet down. "I just wish I could tell them. But they might not understand."

"Understand what?" six voices asked in unison.

Sarah gasped and turned to her friends, not having heard them come up. "Um, n-nothing. It's nothing guys, seriously."

The twins shrugged and walked away talking about the newest designer clothes, while the others continued staring at her. Sarah stared each of them down until she got to Alma. No matter how hard the blonde stared, Alma just kept staring back. Finally, Sarah pulled her lips back slightly and growled softly in her throat. Alma shivered and dropped her gaze, hurriedly following the others out. Scarlet whinnied at her rider and Sarah petted her fur sadly. "I know, Scar, I know."

At dinner, Sarah silently picked at her cabbage, not even eating the meat sausages in it. The others were all talking animatedly about a club Saturday night and Bailey turned to the blonde. "Hey, Sare, wanna come?" Sarah shook her head mutely and he frowned a bit before turning back to the others. Sarah went to bed early that night, knowing all the while that she wouldn't get much sleep.

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><p><em><strong>There, there is the first chapter. I will be uploading more asap. Anyway, review if you can.<strong>_


	2. Chapter 2

_**I think this story has potential. I think I'll continue it.**_

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><p><em><strong>CHAPTER TWO<strong>_

Bailey called the others together after Sarah had gone to bed. "Guys," he said. "There's something wrong with Sarah. She's not eating as much and she barely goes out anymore. What do you think could be wrong?"

"Well, let's put the pieces together." Will suggested.

Molly nodded and began clicking things off on her fingers. "She doesn't like being seen at all on the full moon, she eats meat constantly, she speaks to any animal as if she can actually understand them, she has some really delicate senses, and every time she messes up, it looks like she did it on purpose because she'd get it right if it weren't on purpose."

As she had listed the traits off, Alma had been writing them down. They all began thinking about the situation in silence. Bailey was the first to speak. "Maybe she has some weird obsession with werewolves?" he asked hopefully.

Molly's eyes widened as a thought came to her. "But what if it's not an obsession?" she inquired breathlessly. "What if she _**is**_ a werewolf?" The others stared at her before bursting into laughter.

"Yeah, right." Alma giggled. "If she's a werewolf, why don't we ever hear any howling? And no beasts have chased us through the woods on the full moon?"

Molly glanced at her. "You said that you saw Sarah's eyes peeking from the bushes on the full moon. And that earlier today, she began growling at you and you saw something animal in her eyes. How do you explain that?"

"I could have been hallucinating on the full moon." Alma replied calmly. "And sometimes I can get scared of a person if I see something flicker in their eyes."

Molly shook her head. "Fine, I propose that we see if my theory is correct. On the full moon we'll spy on Sarah to figure out what's really going on with her. How about that?" she crossed her arms over her chest as the others thought it over.

"Fine Molly," Bailey smirked. "You've got a deal. But we can't let Sarah get wind of this because she'd kill us."

The four friends nodded and dispersed for bed. Unbeknownst to them, Chloe had been making her way to the kitchen to get a drink of water before heading out and had heard the last part of the plan. She giggled as she began thinking of ways to mess it up for them.

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><p><em><strong>There you go folks. Remember, always review or I'll be sad. :(<strong>_


	3. Chapter 3

**_CHAPTER THREE_**

Sarah awoke the next morning and checked the weather in the window opposite her. Ever since her parents let her stay with Bailey while they went on a small, parent re-bonding trip, she had been checking the weather every day for the day when the sun rose with a bright scarlet ring around it. That was her cue to come home because the day before her parents had arrived back to wait for her. No red outline today. Sarah sighed and began preparing for the day.

Swiftly, she climbed out her window and down to the stables to check on Scarlet. The mare was still asleep when Sarah walked in but the other horses started when they heard her footsteps. Button woke up first and spotted her right away. She screamed out in fear as Sarah got closer to her. This woke up Calypso and Aztec, which in turned succeeded in waking Chili, Pepper, and Jimber. Scarlet sighed and woke up to see what all the noise was about. She whinnied louder than the rest of the horses and the noise quieted immediately. Jimber nickered something to her and Scarlet huffed in reply. Sarah paid no mind to the conversation and patted Scarlet's coat affectionately.

"Hey Girl," she cooed softly. "You ready for the day?"

Scarlet glanced into her eyes before continuing to huff and whinny with Jimber. Sarah giggled and gave her another pat. She slowly crept into the house through the front door and headed for the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she looked around for her special stash of meat and was surprised to find nothing but everything other than meat in the fridge. She looked around the kitchen for any other signs of meat and found nothing. She sat at the table with a sigh and saw the others coming in the door.

"Hey Sarah," Molly called. "Did you see any leftover meat in the kitchen? We have to finish taking it out to the garbage for Bailey's parents."

Sarah raised her head and asked, "Why do they want it in the garbage?"

"Because," Bailey intoned. "The horses don't seem to enjoy the smell of meat on us because it makes them skittish. Would you like breakfast?"

Sarah shook her head and stood to leave. "I'm going to go for a quick run through the woods if you don't mind." She murmured. Jogging through the trees, she made her way through the trees at a fast run to anyone else but a slow jog to her. Panting slightly as she stopped, Sarah looked around for her old place to be. She finally spotted it and made her way over to the small rundown cottage painted to camouflage with the trees. The blonde sat in a rickety old chair and sighed again. "I'm hungry." She muttered. "I'll have to hunt instead in order to get my sustenance."

As she went out to hunt, she decided to have a small talk with the horses.

"Did you see that?" Molly gasped wide-eyed. "She didn't want breakfast once she found out that there wasn't any meat anywhere. What if she went out hunting, but since it's not a full moon she just uses her nails instead of claws. Quick, get the meat before she comes back empty-handed and tries to eat us!"

The others giggled as they pulled the meat from a bag high on the shelves. Just as they finished putting it away, Sarah walked back through the door, smiling softly like always.

"Hey Sarah, what's that on your mouth?" Alma asked uncertainly as the blonde moved closer.

"Huh?" Sarah wiped her mouth and found red liquid on her hand. "Oh, um, I went out to eat and got ketchup on me. I'll go clean up."

The others stared after her before turning to Molly. The dark-skinned girl shrugged with a worried look on her face. "This could be really bad." She murmured to which everyone nodded.

Later, the team was practicing on racing around the poles and Will had said don't hold anything back. Sarah sighed and realized that Scarlet wasn't going to listen to her this time.

"If we get into trouble," she whispered to the horse. "I'm holding you responsible."

Scarlet huffed to her in a promise and took off running. She curved her body around the poles easily and Sarah smiled as she realized that Scarlet was having fun. They stopped all too soon and turned to see Will holding the timer in shock.

"Sarah," he exclaimed. "You beat the world record by a whole minute! How did you do that?"

"I didn't," Sarah replied, giving her Arabian a firm pat. "Scarlet did. Good Girl, Scar."

Everyone stared at them for a moment before clapping half-heartedly. Sarah moved to the back of the line and patted Scarlet's pelt affectionately.

"I know Girl," she murmured. "Something smells fishy with our friends."

Scarlet nickered and took a deep breath. When practice was over, the others put their horses away before beginning to head to the house. Sarah walked in last with Scarlet and as soon as she crossed the threshold, the horses all began whinnying loudly. Sarah heard the others coming, so she hurriedly growled at the horses and reduced them to shuddering ponies. Turning, Sarah saw her friends returning with worried expressions.

"What happened?" Alma asked.

"Did something spook the horses?" Bailey panted.

"Yeah, I think they just got a little scared to see me cause I kinda barged in when I got in here. I got them to shush a little but that's it. Sorry, no big now."

Sarah tried to smile reassuringly, but her friends didn't seem all that convinced. She sighed and put Scarlet in her stall as the others calmed down their horses. A few minutes later, while shooting the blonde odd looks, the others left. Sarah turned to the horses, which all looked at her intently.

"What is wrong with you guys?" the rider asked them.

"Wrong with us?" Pepper demanded. "You're the were-beast and you have the audacity to-."

"Pepper," Sarah growled in a warning voice. She immediately quieted. "I've already told you that I won't hurt you. I know I eat animals, but I try to stay away from horses because Scarlet asks me to. Please just try to calm down; the others don't know about my transformations and I'm trying to keep it a secret. Please just try to stay calm?"

All of the horses huffed and Jimber spoke up. "Why should we believe you? You'd probably eat us at the next full moon if we were not careful. Why don't we get the truth from someone we trust?"

"How about me?" Scarlet asked.

"You?" Chili snorted. "Why would we listen, or even trust you? You're in cohorts with her!"

"Yes," answered the slightly frustrated Arabian. "but you must remember that even on the full moon, I'm still a vegetarian. So are you going to listen or not?"

All of the horses glanced at each other before reluctantly nodding. "Sarah won't eat you 1: because you're my friends and that would be insulting me and 2: you're her friends' horses so that would make her friends insanely unhappy and she doesn't want that. Now do you believe us or not?"

Scarlet fixed them all with a stern gaze while Sarah turned pleading eyes to them. "Alright, fine!" Chili and Pepper cried.

"But we're staying locked up next full moon." Button told them.

"Promise," Sarah told them. "So all I'll do is come out, get Scarlet and go. Better?"

The horses all whinnied in acceptance and went about their normal business while Sarah brushed Scarlet.

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><p><strong><em>Haha, that was pretty funny with the horses. Now, review because your kind words make me happy.<em>**


	4. Chapter 4

**_CHAPTER FOUR_**

Outside the door, Molly, Will, Bailey, and Alma all gasped. Before they could say anything, they hurriedly rushed for the house. "She really _is_ a werewolf!" Alma exclaimed, horrified.

"Wait," Will said. "Let's not panic, I mean, she didn't actually **say** that she was a werewolf. This could still be a misunderstanding."

"How?" demanded Molly. "She just told our horses that she would not eat them on the full moon! How is that a misunderstanding?"

"Molly's got a point, Will," Bailey said.

"I know, but we still have a few more tests before following her the full moon. What else do werewolves like to do other than eat meat and talk to other animals?"

"They seem to howl a lot." Alma told him.

"That's what normal wolves do too."

"How about we have a howling contest with Sarah and see how well she howls." Bailey suggested. The others nodded and dispersed just as Sarah was walking through the door.

"Hey Alma," Sarah called. Alma squeaked and turned to her expectantly. "Do you mind going for a walk through the forest for a little while?"

"Um…I…uh…s-sure?" Sarah smiled and led Alma to the path. The others gave her sympathetic looks as the Latina was walked through the door. Chloe was leaning on the stairway the entire time and grinned. She'd have to have a little talk with Sarah a little later. As Sarah and Alma walked, Alma stayed on one side of the path while Sarah walked on the other.

"What's up, Alma?" Sarah asked softly. "You seem kind of fidgety. Is everything ok?"

"Y-yeah. Everything is fine. Why do you ask?"

Sarah gave her an odd look and shook her head. "You just seemed on edge is all. So, how is Button?"

"You should know." Alma whispered softly. Sarah stopped and turned to her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked quietly.

"I… you… what?" Sarah took a quick step toward her and Alma took a shaky step back. Sarah's eyes crinkled in sadness as she watched Alma carefully, noting the stiffness and the slight tremble.

"You're afraid," the blonde murmured sadly. "Why are you afraid?" Alma felt her heart tug as tears sprang to Sarah's eyes and the blonde backed into a tree.

"Go back to the ranch, Alma," the dejected rider said lowly.

"What?"

"You didn't have to come with me. You can go back to the ranch. I'll just finish my walk alone."

"But Sarah… it wasn't like that." Sarah's head rose and Alma saw the tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Just go. Tell the others I'll be back in half an hour."

Without waiting for Alma's answer, Sarah sprang off into the trees and away from the path. Alma didn't dare follow in the fear that she would get lost. Making her way back to Horseland, Alma was met with Molly hugging her tight.

"You're ok!" the African American girl sighed in relief. "We thought Sarah was going to eat you. What happened?"

"I made Sarah sad." Alma said, hanging her head in shame.

"How?" Bailey asked.

"I was afraid and I didn't want to go near her. She stopped us because I had made a mean comment about the horses and stepped toward me so I stepped away and she got upset because I was afraid of her. Maybe she's not a werewolf and I just hurt her feelings."

"But if she's not a werewolf, why would you being afraid hurt her feelings?" Will said speculatively, rubbing his chin.

Alma shook her head and went on. "She told me that I didn't have to come on the walk with her; that I could have said no. She said she would be back in half an hour."

"Where do you suppose she's going?" Molly wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Bailey replied, "but I hope that if she's hunting, it's away from here."

The four friends decided to do some practice with the horses to pass the time until Sarah got back. When they went to rest, the preteens all looked at one another worriedly; an hour had passed and the blonde still hadn't shown up.

"You don't think something bad happened?" Bailey asked fearfully. The others shared anxious looks and slowly stood.

"Come on, let's go look for her." Will suggested.

"What?" Molly gasped.

"And risk being hunted?" Alma squeaked. Will shook his head.

"Sarah's our friend no matter what she is. We are worried because she hasn't come out of the forest. Are you going to stand by while a potential friend could be hurt?"

The girls looked at each other and shook their heads. The four of them went into the forest since it was still fairly light out. As they were walking, they were all extremely wary of anything that might come out of the bushes or from behind the trees. They had been walking for fifteen minutes when they heard someone talking. Walking closer, they peered through a bush and saw Sarah sitting by a river with a few chipmunks sitting beside her.

"…not like I can really tell anyone, you know?" Sarah was saying. "I mean, they might freak out even worse than if I were homicidal. Just because I eat a lot of meat doesn't mean that I'm like this huge, hairy, big-toothed monster that ravages anything I can get my hands on. I'm not vicious, I just, I don't know, I just want them to trust me. I mean, it's not like I know every little detail of their lives. Sure, I'm rich, sure, I'm kind of pretty, but who cares about that? All I've ever wanted were friends who liked me, not my money. I thought I had found that and in a way I did, but Alma was scared of me and so I think something or someone has told her something and it was very private."

One of the chipmunks hopped onto her leg and began chittering. Sarah listened intently to what it was saying and when it finished, she nodded.

"Exactly. I don't think I've done anything out of the ordinary, really. I mean sure, I eat beef in the morning, but no one said bacon and sausage have to be the only breakfast meats. It's not like I go around tearing my teeth into everything I touch. I just wish my friends would understand that I just want to be a normal girl like Molly or Alma, but I can't be completely normal because of… my full moon tendencies."

Bailey snorted softly. "So that's what she calls it?" he asked quietly. "Going around eating animals three days a month means that she has full moon tendencies? Please!"

The others shushed him softly and turned their attention back to Sarah.

"My mom and dad had it too, actually." she was saying to a different chipmunk who appeared to have said something to her. "That's why they left; they needed a vacation and are going to spend the entire time hunting, relaxing and…" Sarah blushed and said softly. "mating."

The chipmunks all stared at her for a second before they burst into laughter or the chipmunk equivalent of laughter. Sarah's blush deepened as one of the chipmunks said something.

"No, it's not romantic. They didn't have to tell me that part, but I guess it was necessary since I'm going to have to find a mate soon." Sarah sighed. "But, I'll think about that when it's actually time to mate. Thanks for listening, little guys, I should probably head back; the others might be worried, that is, if they even noticed I was gone."

All of the teens in the bushes looked at each other before hurrying back to the ranch. As they ducked into the barn, they moved to their horses and began grooming them. Sarah came in moments later and didn't talk to any of them. She merely took Scarlet from her stall and led her into the trees.

"She's going back?" Alma asked incredulously. "But it's nearly dark!"

"Maybe she can see where's she going. Aren't wolves supposed to have great night vision?" Bailey pointed out.

"No actually. They usually finish hunting before nightfall so that they don't get separated from the rest of the pack."

"Oh." Bailey sagged.

"But if she knows it's close to nightfall, then she won't go that far into the trees… right?" Molly looked around at the others and they merely shook their heads in confusion. Heading back up to the house, the others wished Bailey and Will good luck with Sarah and left for home.

"You don't really believe it, do you?" Will asked.

"No, Sarah can't possibly be a werewolf. There's no such thing."

"But it is pretty odd how everything seems to fit. Maybe we should watch her tonight?"

"I'm game. Watch a cute girl, who could refuse?" The two boys headed into the house and waited for Sarah's return.


	5. Chapter 5

**_CHAPTER FIVE_**

"Easy girl." Sarah pulled Scarlet to a stop and dismounted. The two entered the small cottage and Sarah sat down as Scarlet folded her legs underneath her.

"They didn't even care that I was gone longer than half an hour." Sarah sighed.

"Well, maybe they were busy." Scarlet offered. "They were training today. They didn't come back into the barn until just before you returned."

Sarah sighed. "I don't know Scar, I mean, they don't even know our real names."

"Who says they have to know?" Scarlet challenged.

Sarah shrugged. "I'm just sick of lying to everyone."

Scarlet nuzzled the top of her head and Sarah chuckled. Looking out of the glassless window, Sarah surveyed the sky. "Nightfall is in thirteen minutes. Do you want to have a nighttime run?"

"We can both see in the dark. I don't see why not. Besides, it'll be nice not to have to pretend to be slow."

Sarah laughed and led her back outside. Mounting the Arabian once more, Sarah urged her to get moving and Scarlet started into a walk before speeding up until she was going at a dead run. Both rider and horse laughed as they raced around trees and over fallen trunks. As they neared a gorge, Sarah urged Scarlet to go faster and the two jumped over the chasm, sailing through the air before landing on the other side and continuing on.

On the way back, Sarah patted Scarlet's flank. "Thanks Scar. You always know how to cheer me up."

"I am your guardian. I've known you all my life."

Sarah chuckled and the two galloped back to the ranch. Coming in later than they meant to, Sarah was careful to be quiet as she put Scarlet away. Sneaking up to her bedroom window, Sarah unlocked the window with her nails and slipped inside. Sighing in relief, Sarah sat down on her bed and lay down, falling into a deep and surprisingly peaceful sleep.

In the morning, Sarah yawned and looked out the window, her smile faltering when she found no red ring around the sun. Going downstairs, Sarah fixed her usual beef sandwich and read the front page of the newspaper. She raised an eyebrow at a new announcement for the fastest horse rider.

"Scarlet could beat that record in her sleep." Sarah scoffed, flipping to the next page.

"Really?" a voice asked. Sarah shrugged, recognizing it as Will. "She's a fast horse, but that rider was trained by the best."

"Horseland is the best." Sarah countered lowly.

"Well, we're glad you feel that way." Another voice chuckled from the stairs. "Spread the word, won't you?"

"Of course, Bailey." Sarah chuckled, sending a smile at him before returning her attention to the newspaper.

"It seems there is a sale on horses in a few weeks." She murmured. "Do you think someone might show up?" she asked the two boys opposite her.

"Probably. Farmers and racers, horse-training facility officials and such like that." Will told her.

"Everyone loves a good horse." Bailey added with a snicker.

Sarah nodded and said, "I think I'll go."

"But you have Scarlet." Will pointed out in confusion.

"Yes, but I think she'd like to talk to some horses she's never met. They could become friends and then they might meet each other again." Bailey and Will shared a look over her head before turning back to her.

"So, when did you get back last night?" Will asked nonchalantly, stirring his decaf coffee.

"About nine or ten minutes after nightfall." Sarah replied casually.

"It must have taken you awhile." Bailey said softly, leveling Sarah with a suspicious look.

"Not really," the blonde said, missing the look the brunette boy was giving her. "Scarlet helped me get back faster."

Will glanced to Bailey and the tanned boy shrugged. "Well, do you and Scarlet wanna train with me and Jimber today?" Will asked. "We were going to do a bit of jumping today."

Sarah nodded and folded the paper. "Sure, we can train. Scar's getting edgy anyway, wondering when the next competition will be."

"Alright," Will said uncertainly, unsure of how to respond to that. "I'll meet you out there at eleven." Sarah nodded without looking back and exited the front door, heading toward the stables.

"Ok," Bailey said. "I'll watch the different techniques she has to see if there's something different about them and you just try and look like you're really focused on leading Jimber through the jumps, even though you're really going to keep an eye on Sarah's facial expressions. Good plan?"

Will nodded with a smile and the two boys went out to meet with Sarah and Scarlet. Sarah was already mounted confidently on her mare and Scarlet was pawing the ground eagerly, ready to do some training. As Will went to get Jimber, Scarlet turned her blue eyes to Bailey and stared at him for a moment. The tanned boy smiled back and Scarlet huffed, tossing her head slightly. The pairs stepped up to the training ground and Will let Sarah go first.

The boys watched as she lazily guided Scarlet through the jumps, the mare's hooves only brushing the top pole of the last jump. Will and Bailey nodded approvingly and Will began guiding Jimber through the jumps as best he could. Just as they were nearing the last jump, Jimber became a little nervous about trying to make it over and he jumped too soon; his right hoof knocked over the top bar and it threw him off balance. He and Will crashed to the ground with a loud THUD! Sarah jumped off of Scarlet and ran over to the downed rider.

"Jimber's on me." Will told her with a grimace. Sarah nodded and slowly began lifting Jimber off. Bailey helped Will wiggle from underneath he horse as Sarah got Jimber standing upright again.

"Thanks Sarah." Will murmured, brushing himself off.

"It takes an awful lot of strength to lift a horse Jimber's size." Bailey added, looking at Sarah suspiciously.

Sarah rubbed her arm with a nervous smile. "Well, I learned how to lift a horse the hard way, as many times as Scarlet's fallen on me."

Scarlet huffed behind her and Sarah shot a look at her. The two boys watched the connection in bemusement before shrugging and sighing. "I'm going to take Jimber to his stall to make sure he isn't hurt."

Sarah nodded and took hold of Scarlet's reins. "I'm going to take Scarlet through again."

Will nodded to her and left for the stable while Bailey stayed to observe Sarah some more. The way she held her body while she was on Scarlet suggested that she was the one that wanted to be on the ground running the drills alongside her horse. She would pull just a bit on Scarlet's reins just before the horse jumped, causing Scarlet to scrape the top of some of the bars. Bailey raised an eyebrow at this, but wiped his face clean of emotion when Sarah and Scarlet stopped in front of him.

"That was great!" Bailey told his friend when she dismounted her horse.

"Thanks. Scarlet's ready for anything any competition has to throw at us."

Bailey raised an eyebrow before an idea formed in his head. "You know horses are afraid of wolves." He said with a sly grin.

Sarah cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Yeah, most horses don't like wolves."

"Wanna see how Scarlet reacts to a wolf's howl?" Bailey was going to see if he could draw her out. He let out a loud, ridiculous howl and Sarah giggled.

"That's pretty weird wolf, Bailey." She told him.

"Come on, you try it."

Sarah nodded, still giggling and took in a deep breath. When she howled, it wasn't what Bailey was expecting. It sounded like a sick and dying cat yowling for food. "Wow, you make an even worse wolf than me!" he said jokingly, secretly trying to see if he could provoke her.

"I know. I don't like wolves much, they tend to cause trouble for Scarlet, so we try to steer clear of any potential wolf places when we're in the woods."

Bailey was surprised by this new information. "You… don't like wolves?" he asked curiously.

"No, they're smelly, vicious and they always travel in a pack. I can take maybe one or two people with me, but so many? That's too much."

Bailey was confused by this as Sarah began leading Scarlet toward the stables. "Well, this is weird."


	6. Chapter 6

**_Hey y'all. I know it's been awhile, but now I'm back and totally ready to make you smile with more Horseland fun. Check out the chapter while I upload seven._**

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><p><strong><em>CHAPTER SIX<em>**

"She... doesn't like wolves?" Molly asked a few days later after Bailey had told her and the others what had transpired between him and Sarah.

"Yeah, that's what she said." Bailey affirmed. "And she wasn't kidding around or lying; she really meant it."

"But... but... I thought she was a werewolf?" Alma said in confusion.

"Well, the theory has yet to be proven then, doesn't it?" Bailey shrugged.

"Why are we doing this anyway?" Will inquired. "I mean, werewolves don't even exist. Why should we be jumping to conclusions about Sarah being one. So she likes meat; who doesn't other than vegans and vegetarians? So she doesn't like being seen on the full moon; it might be part of her religion or something. So she likes talking to animals; maybe her parents don't pay enough attention to her and she wants to talk to something to make her feel better and we all know that animals can't possibly tell her secrets. So she looks like she messes up purposefully; she could have pre-trained Scarlet and doesn't want to make any of us feel bad about it. So she has delicate senses, she might…"

Will paused and muttered, "No, I don't have anything for that one except ninjas."

"Guys, Will could be right." Alma said quietly. I don't think it's fair to Sarah to accuse her of such things when they are obviously not true. I mean, aren't werewolves supposed to be really hairy, act like dogs, constantly tear into their meat like wild animals and such like that? Sarah's skin is very smooth and kind of silky, she acts very sophisticated and she eats her food with a fork and knife, not her hands and teeth."

"I don't know." Molly murmured. "She could just be trying to get one over on us by shaving her hair constantly. And you just said she ACTED sophisticated. She could be putting on a show for us."

"You know what?" Bailey asked, trying to calm the tension. "Why don't we just ask Sarah?"

"Ask me what?" came a curious voice from the hallway. The four friends turned to see Sarah standing in the doorway with her hands clasped in front of her, looking at them all intently. Chloe and Zoey were right behind her, looking in curiously as well and snickering slightly.

"Um… uh… w-we uh." Well, Will was trying, but he seemed too nervous to do it, so Bailey tried.

"W-we um, we were g-going to ask, uh…" He seemed incapable as well, so Molly took a shot.

"We were going to ask, um, well, if, uh… if um…" Well, she got further than the boys.

Alma took a deep breath, walked over to Sarah and took the blonde's hands in her own. "Sarah?" blue eyes met hazel intently. "Are you a werewolf?"

Sarah cocked her head for a moment in utter confusion, her expression completely blank. Then, her breath came out in a ragged whisper.

"W-what?" the blonde asked shakily, her eyes quivering as she searched Alma's face.

"Are you a were-creature?" the Latina tried again.

"I… y-you… h-how did you…" Sarah gulped and took another shay breath. "H-how did you f-find out?"

"Find out what?" Alma asked softly.

"That I'm a werecat."

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><p><strong><em>Sorry the chapters are getting shorter guys. I'll try to make them longer every now and then, but for right now, you'll have to deal with this. My bad. Please review though?<em>**


	7. Chapter 7

_**As promised...**_

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><p><em><strong>Chapter SEVEN<strong>_

"You're a were… _what_?" Molly asked slowly.

"A werecat." Sarah replied. "A weretiger to be exact."

"But, how do you… I mean… what?"

Sarah looked around at all of her friends slowly and began telling her story. "The condition has been in my family for decades, ever since the civil war when my great-great grandfather, William Clawbury Whitney, attacked an entire camp of hidden soldiers and tore the place apart. He'd gone to some spiritual being he'd heard about and the being supposedly transformed him."

Her friends waited a moment to sink this in and Sarah glanced out the window to see Scarlet was peering in and smiling encouragement. Sarah smiled in return before Chloe caught her attention by asking, "So, on the full moon, you turn into some orange and black, meat eating beast?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'm not orange and black; none of my family members are. We all are the colors that represent us best. My fur is silvery blue with scarlet stripes, white paws and blue eyes."

The others stared at her apprehensively. "On the full moon, I've never eaten a human before. I've never tasted human blood so it doesn't call to me as it does my parents. Scarlet's helped me get over the curiosity of wanting to find out what all the fuss was about. On the first night of the full moon, I usually just either run with Scarlet or watch the moon. On the second night, I watch the animals around me to see who I can and can't eat. Which animals were too young or too healthy. I don't want to eat the animals that could continue the family because they're my source for food. On the third night is when I go hunting because I'm so hungry by then that I have no choice. I usually keep to smaller creatures, rather than larger ones that could give me wounds."

The others nodded at this. "Why didn't you tell us?" Alma asked softly.

"Because I didn't know how you would react." Sarah sighed. "I thought you would react like Ponyville did."

"What did they do?" Bailey asked slowly, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Sarah shifted uncomfortably and said, "It's kind of a long story."

"We've got time." Will murmured.

"Ok, long story short. I had been in Ponyville for three months and things were going just fine. Scarlet and I were putting on the act we'd practiced for so long, acting human and horse as best we could. But one full moon night, as I stole into the woods to change, another rider followed me and watched me transform. She screamed in fear when I turned to her and I couldn't explain to her that I was harmless because she began to run. Scarlet and I followed her and the trainers captured us, putting us into a large cage in the middle of the woods until my parents came and rescued us. I don't think they remember what happened, but it still sticks with me."

Molly, Bailey, Will and Alma looked at her sympathetically while Chloe and Zoey seemed indifferent to the entire thing. "Well, I'm glad you told us." Bailey said after a prolonged silence. "Now we can make sure that the fridge is stocked with meat until your parents return home."

Sarah nodded, her head bent as she looked at her friends through her eyelashes. "Does this… change anything?" she asked shyly, fearful that her friends didn't want her around anymore. "If it does, I can train at night so that I don't make you guys uncomfortable…"

Alma jumped up and raced over to Sarah, throwing her arms around the taller girl's shoulders. "We're just happy you told us." She said happily.

"Really?" Sarah asked, looking up at the Hispanic girl happily.

"Of course. You're our friend, Sarah. We wouldn't turn our backs on you just because you're DNA is a little different than ours."

"Yeah," Molly murmured. "Now that we know we can help you with you monthly change. We'll make sure we stay out of the woods and that you have meat and plenty of exercise and stuff like that."

"You don't have to stay out of the woods." Sarah told her.

"Yeah, but you know, just in case the food supply gets low, we want to make sure the horses are safe."

Sarah's eyes widened in shock. "Oh no, I would never eat a horse." Sarah gasped. "That would offend Scarlet since she takes the form of a horse. I stay clear of all horses so that I'm not even the least bit tempted to attack."

"Well, regardless, we'll stay out of your territory so that you have your space." Bailey said firmly. "Now, I think it's time we all got ready to leave so that our parents aren't all wondering."

"Please don't tell anyone?" Sarah called softly as they all headed for the door.

"Huh?" They all turned to see Sarah staring at them all pleadingly.

"Please don't tell anyone. About my family. My parents would be very upset with me if they knew I'd told someone our history, not to mention six other people."

"We all promise not to tell anyone Sarah." Alma reassured her, hugging her again.

"Yeah, it's not like anyone would believe us if we did anyway." Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes and turning toward the door. She and Zoey left while the others watched Sarah return Alma's hug.

After a few moments, Will cleared his throat and said, "Alma, your ride is going to be here soon."

Alma sighed softly and slowly let go, savoring Sarah's warmth against her before giving the blonde a reassuring glance and heading out the door with the others. Sarah released a breath and walked over to the window, where Scarlet was waiting. Opening it, the rider reached out and petted the horse's nose.

"So, I take it from the fact that their not running around screaming that they took it well?" Scarlet asked, her voice low as she closed her eyes in pleasure at Sarah's calming touch.

"Yes, very well actually. How did you know what was happening?"

"I sensed that you were in there and that you were slightly upset, so I decided to see what I could do to help. You told them?"

"They asked me. They thought I was a werewolf at first and then I explained everything. I just hope that explaining everything means that we can avoid another episode like last time."

"I think that's something we're both hoping for, don't you think Sapphiera?"

"Most definitely, Scarlietta. Most definitely."

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><p><strong><em>There you go. Now you know their real names and the rest of the gang knows their secret. Let's see how things play out from there, shall we? The next chapter might take awhile, so don't hold your breath for too long. It might be a week, or a month, but I ALWAYS finish a story... remember that while you review.<em>**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Here y'all go. Next chapter ready._**

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><p>Chapter eight<p>

The next morning, all of the riders arrived like usual. Will and Bailey greeted Sarah as she came down the stairs and grabbed some meat.

"So, how are you feeling today?" Bailey asked, chowing on some eggs.

"More or less alright." Sarah replied. "I woke up hurting in the middle of the night and found that I had slept on my pillow the wrong way."

Both boys laughed and Will handed her an envelope. "This came for you today. I assume it's from your parents." Sarah smiled and slit the letter open, reading the paper inside. Her face fell at the writing on the sheet and she quickly turned away from the boys so they wouldn't see her reaction. Bailey and Will both raised an eyebrow at this behavior and wondered what the letter said.

"Something wrong?" Will inquired slowly.

"No." Sarah murmured, turning back to them with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. "My parents just wanted to, um, let me know that they might be a bit later than expected."

"Oh." Bailey murmured. "Well, you can stay as long as you need to, Sarah. I'm sure my parents don't mind."

Sarah gave him a grateful smile and went back to her food. There was a knock on the door and Will opened it to find Molly and Alma grinning widely at him. "Hey guys." Molly called, stepping into the kitchen.

"Hey." Bailey called as Sarah gave them a wave.

"How are you feeling today?" Alma inquired, taking a seat next to Sarah.

"Hungry." Sarah replied, shrugging.

"Well, I would expect so, the full moon is coming in a week." Alma said calmly while the others cast nervous glances at the blonde.

"Guys, it's impolite to stare." Sarah murmured, not looking up from her food. Will coughed in embarrassment and turned to grab the newspaper.

There was another knock and Bailey went to get it, greeting the twins.

"Ok," Will called, looking up to make sure everyone was there. "Who's ready to go train for that championship?"

"We are!" Chloe and Zoey called.

"Me too!" Molly added.

"And me." Alma piped in.

"Count me in." Sarah replied.

"Wait," Chloe said, glaring at Sarah. "It's not fair if she trains with us. She'll use her powers to make her better and make the rest of us feel bad."

Sarah's face fell and Alma turned angry eyes to Chloe. "She's been practicing with us this entire time and we didn't notice a thing. I think Sarah can do what she usually does and she'll seem human."

Chloe huffed and strode out the door without another word. Zoey followed after throwing a confused look over her shoulder.

Sarah sighed. "Really, I can just take Scarlet out at night and we can train then if it's going to cause hostility."

"Since when have those two not been hostile?" Molly snorted.

Sarah chuckled. "I guess you have a point. Come on, let's go."

Through the rest of the day, there wasn't another complaint from the Stilton girls as the team practiced hard. By the end of the day, they were all tired and ready to collapse on the bed for sleep. Molly, Chloe, and Zoey all left on time, but Alma's ride seemed to be late. As the Latina waited outside for her ride, Sarah sat next to her.

"Hey," the blonde murmured softly.

"Hey." Alma smiled at her.

"Um, thank you. For sticking up for me today."

"Well, I couldn't let them pick on you just because you're better than they are."

Sarah gave her a small smile and touched her hand. "I mean it," she whispered. "Thank you." Alma opened her mouth to say more, but a honk stopped her and they both turned to see her mother waiting for her.

"See you tomorrow, Sarah." Alma called as she hurried toward the car.

Sarah waved and began making her way toward the barn. Listening to the conversations, she decided to check up on Scarlet. Moving quietly into the barn, she found her Arabian talking with Button.

"So, what you're saying is that you're stronger than most horses?" Button was asking.

"Yes," Scarlet replied, ducking her head.

"And you're faster too? You can jump higher?"

"Yeah."

"That's cool. I bet that makes it really fun when you and Sarah are riding."

Scarlet chuckled. "Yeah, it is pretty great."

"I wish I could do that." Button sighed. "Does the wind feel good?"

"It stings sometimes, but mostly in cold weather. Otherwise it's ok."

"That would feel great."

"Why the sudden questions Button?"

If Sarah didn't know any better, she would have sworn that Button began blushing. "No reason, I was just trying to see what it would be like to be you."

Scarlet smiled and ducked her head at the praise. "Thank you." She murmured. "Only Sarah has ever tried to do that for me."

"Well, Sarah seems like a great rider, so I can imagine she'd do that to make you feel more comfortable."

"Yeah, she did."

Sarah smiled at her horse as she watched Scarlet bond with Button. Deciding that Scarlet was in good hooves, Sarah headed back to the house and climbed into bed, thinking that sleep would do her some good.

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><p><strong><em>Aw, isn't it just cute? Review me and let's hear it!<em>**


	9. Chapter 9

_**And here we are viewers, another successful chapter that takes a slight twist in it. Let us see what this gets us, shall we? Enjoy.**_

_**I don't own Horseland.**_

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><p>Sarah was slowly falling into a depression as the full moon grew nearer and nearer. Her friends, of course, wondered what was wrong and so, one night as she was waiting for her ride, Alma approached her blonde friend. "Sarah, is something wrong?"<p>

"Nothing." Sarah said dully, her elbows on her knees as she held her head in her hands.

"But you have been sad lately. Surely there is something we can do to help you?"

"No, not really." Sarah replied softly.

"But can we at least know what is bothering you?"

"No." Sarah responded as she raised her head, a hint of anger entering her voice.

Alma got the telltale chill down her spine, warning her of danger, but she decided to ignore it and continued. "Please, Sarah, we only wish to help you. Tell me what's wrong."

"I said 'no' Alma." Sarah growled at her.

Alma set her jaw. "Tell me, please?"

She had pushed too far. Sarah's hands were painfully tight on her shoulders as Alma found herself pressed against a tree with a snarling Sarah glaring at her. "I said no! Drop it!" the blonde roared, making Alma wince as the grip on her shoulders tightened ever so slightly. Alma nodded quickly, making Sarah let go of her.

The blonde was panting as she studied her hands. "Please, just leave it alone."

Alma didn't say a word and Sarah looked up at her. Her eyes were a deeper set of blue and Alma understood why the shiver of danger creeped down her spine; it was too close to the full moon. "I'm sorry, Sarah." The Latina murmured. "When you're ready to talk, just know I'm here, ok?"

Sarah nodded. "Let me see your shoulders."

Alma looked at her in confusion, but removed her best to reveal her T-shirt. She pulled it over her shoulder and Sarah's face fell.

"There are going to be bruises." Her voice cracked as she took in the already darkening skin. "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. The bruises will heal." Alma said quickly. Sarah nodded slowly and walked Alma back to the waiting point, the both of them sitting down. When Alma's parents arrived, Alma hugged Sarah goodbye and rode off, leaving Sarah with her guilt and sadness.

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><p>"She did WHAT?" Alma sighed as she looked at her friends.<p>

"It was nothing very big." She stated. "There are only a few bruises, really. I just made her a little uncomfortable and she got defensive."

"But Alma," Molly said earnestly. "She gave you bruises! You were questioning her so close to the full moon for what? She could very well still be angry and planning to come after you."

"Sarah wouldn't do that to us. Please stop worrying, we have training to do."

They all grudgingly agreed to go out and begin training. They found Scarlet and Sarah moving effortlessly along the arena, jumping over ridges and curving around barrels as if they were professionals just doing it to make sure they had it right. Alma and Molly stared in awe as Scarlet made a leap that was much higher than the rail while Bailey and Will felt small twinges of jealousy for Sarah. The twins were just all around angry that they had to continue practicing with someone that was better than them. Sarah noticed her friends watching and pulled Scarlet to a stop. She dismounted and leaned against the panting mare as she eyed her friends.

"Sarah that was amazing!" Alma breathed, her eyes roaming to the spot where Scarlet had jumped almost a meter higher than the bars.

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome." Molly agreed, nodding her approval.

"But if you're finished," Will said slowly. "You wanna practice with us?"

"I'll get Scarlet watered and be right with you." Sarah replied, moving Scarlet toward the stables. The others followed to get their horses out to begin their training. Button gave Scarlet a shy smile as she passed and Sarah smirked at her Partner.

As Sarah poured Scarlet some water, she said in a far-too-casual voice, "So, you and Button, huh?"

Scarlet huffed and said, "She and I aren't doing the horse version of what humans call dating, Sapphiera."

Sarah chuckled. "I know, but she seems to have a crush on you."

"Then what about you and Alma?" Scarlet teased as she nudged Sarah with her head. "She seems to have taken a very strong liking to you as well, even going so far as to tell them that what you did was her fault."

Sarah's eyes flashed with guilt for a moment as she whispered, "I really wasn't meaning to hurt her, Scarlietta. It's just still a sore topic for me. Not to mention the full moon's cycle begins tonight. I should have kept myself under tighter control."

"Don't worry, Sapphiera, we'll figure out a way to get through this, alright. For now, we have to focus on preparing for tonight."

"Well, we should probably head back out so that we can continue practice."

Scarlet nodded and Sarah led her out of the stables. Her friends greeted her warmly and she mounted Scarlet, waiting for her turn with the arena and knowing that she wouldn't be able to put in her best effort, just the best effort expected of a human. At one instance, Scarlet got so angry at Aztec for trying to make a not-so-subtle move on Button. Scarlet began growling fiercely at the brownish yellow horse and made him whinny in fright, moving several aces away with Bailey still atop him. The others looked at Scarlet in shocked fear and the black mare quickly gave a huff to try and cover the growling, but she stayed close to Button, much to Sarah's joy since that meant she was closer to Alma.

At last, practice was over and everyone was ready to go. Sarah saw the sun setting and moved quickly to get to the trees, shedding clothing as she did so with a quick wave to her friends, she disappeared. Alma watched her go and then watched as Scarlet galloped after her, the horse's coat glistening and changing color.

"You're staring." The voice behind her surprised the Latina and Alma quickly turned to see Molly and Will smirking at her.

"No I wasn't." Alma said defensively.

"Yes you were." Molly giggled. "I think it's cute."

Alma ducked her head as a blush crept into her cheeks. "Yes, well, I'd better go put Button away then." She quickly guided her horse into her stall as the chuckles of the others rang in her ears.

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><p>Chloe glanced around to see where her sister could have gone. Zoey usually wasn't one for not putting away Pepper. She doted on the horse almost as much as everyone else doted on them. Moving around the stable, Chloe searched for her sister, coming up empty. She went back and checked in the house, but couldn't find Zoey there, either. Finally, Chloe got up enough nerve to venture a few yards into the forest.<p>

"Zoey?" Chloe called, glancing around uncertainly. "Zoey, where are you? It's almost time to leave. Come on, we have to pack up Pepper and Chili."

Chloe took a few more steps into to the underbrush and heard a strange sound; it sounded like someone was having an asthma attack underwater. She followed the sound and her eyes widened in horror. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment before a terrified scream wrenched itself from her throat.

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><p><em><strong>TADA! Who saw that coming? Come on, be honest, if you didn't hooray, if you did poopoo for you, clever master. Review, tell me what you think.<strong>_


	10. Chapter 10

_**The chapter I promised has been uploaded. Here you guys are. Also, the point of view jumps around a bit, so it might cause a teeny bit of confusion.**_

_**I don't own Horseland**_

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><p><strong>Chapter ten<strong>

Molly and the others rushed into the trees to find Chloe sobbing next to Zoey's body. Zoey was sprawled on the ground covered in scratches and bleeding from a long cut along her forehead. The girls gasped in horror and withdrew while the boys swallowed their fear and moved closer, checking Zoey's worst injuries quickly.

"We have to get her back to the ranch!" Will shouted, taking control of the situation Bailey and Will took deep breaths before picking up the bleeding and unconscious girl and carrying her into the house. Alma and Molly laid out towels while staring at the floor so that they didn't have to look at Zoey's body. Chloe Sank to her knees next to her sister and bawled, unable to take her eyes away.

"Chloe, we need you and the other girls to clean her." Bailey murmured gently, holding out some wet cloths, a bottle of antibiotic, a spare dress and a bucket of slightly soapy water. Chloe slowly nodded and the boys left the room; quietly, Alma and Molly helped Chloe get Zoey's wounds exposed so they could clean them. It was a silent task and all of the girls were afraid to break the silence in case it sent Chloe into tears again. At last, Chloe slipped the dress onto Zoey's paler than usual body, Bailey's parents came in wearing solemn faces.

"How did this happen?" Mrs. asked softly.

"We're not sure." Alma murmured.

"No!" Chloe snarled. "Don't you protect that murderous liar! Sarah did this!"

"Chloe, there's no proof that she did it." Molly sighed.

"But she changed tonight!" Chloe pointed out angrily, crossing her arms defensively.

"That doesn't mean that she's the one that hurt Zoey." Molly reasoned.

"Hold up." Mr. Handler interrupted. "Why would Sarah Whitney want to try and hurt Zoey?"

"Because she's a human-eating monster!" Chloe shouted, her tears flooding from her eyes. "I want her off the riding team and far away from my sister!"

"Now, Chloe," Mrs. Handler cooed. "I know you're upset, but placing blame won't make matters any better."

"But it's true!" Chloe pleaded.

"She's right, Mom." Molly and Alma both gasped to see Bailey and Will standing behind the adults holding up a camera. "We got pictures of Sarah while she was changing. Chloe's telling the truth about her not being human."

While Mrs. Handler looked over the pictures suspiciously, Mr. Handler looked between the five kids with a raised eyebrow. "If Sarah's not human, then what is she?" he inquired.

Will rubbed the back of his head. "She's-."

"No!" Alma shouted. "We promised Sarah we wouldn't tell anyone else! Her parents will be angry when they return."

"That's her fault for telling us!" Chloe growled.

"Sarah's a weretiger." Will told his uncle softly.

"Surely you're joking?" Mr. Handler chuckled.

"They're not, hon." Mrs. Handler whispered. "Check out these pictures."

Mr. Handler took the camera and flipped through the pictures, his eyes widening with each picture. "She… she's really a-a monster." He breathed, going pale. "We've been harboring a monster in our home."

"She's not a monster!" Alma protested.

"But she attacked Zoey!" Chloe shouted.

"Where is your proof!" Alma retorted.

Chloe stalked over to the Latina, but Alma's instinct wouldn't deter her from sticking up for Sarah. "The proof is right there! My sister's wounds are enough proof!"

"No they're not! There could be other wild cats in the forest like the one the day Sarah-." Alma's head snapped to the side as a sharp slap landed on her cheek. Breathing deeply, Alma raised her hands and pushed Chloe back, propelling the blonde into Molly. Chloe stood again and the two girls faced each other, having a glaring battle to see who would back down first.

Mrs. Handler stepped between them and put calming hands on Chloe's shoulders. "Now, I know that someone's hurt and tension is high because Sarah is your friend, but that's no reason to fight. I'll go let the Stilton parents know what's occurred so that we can get this sorted out."

"Meanwhile, Bailey, Will, help me get the cage."

"But Dad," Bailey protested. "We promised Sarah we wouldn't put her in a cage!"

"Well, that's one promise you're going to have to break, now isn't it? Let's go."

Both boys glanced at each other and hung their heads, following the other man out the door. Chloe followed Mrs. Handler to the phones to see if she could get her parents to side with her while Molly and Alma stayed in the room alone. Once everyone else was gone, Molly glanced at Alma and pulled the Latina into a gentle embrace. Alma felt her body shaking and knew she couldn't hold back to the tears any longer.

"They're going to put her in a cage!" she whispered brokenly. "We've betrayed our best friend! Sarah is going to hate me forever now."

Molly shushed her quietly. "Sarah couldn't possibly hate you, Alma. You guys are closer to each other than the rest of us. She might hate the rest of us, but she won't hate you." Alma sniffed and nodded, allowing Molly to comfort her until the inevitable happened.

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><p>Sarah felt a chill crawl down her mighty spine and glanced at the ground. "Scar, something's wrong." She growled to her Guardian.<p>

"I know Sapph." The mare replied.

"Do you think it has anything to do with our friends?"

"I'm not sure, but we'll find out in the morning when we get back. For now, you continue watching the moon while I keep watching for trouble."

Sarah nodded and gazed back at the sky. "The moon is so beautiful tonight." She murmured. "And it's a red moon at that. Those are always the best because it's dust coming off Mars and reflecting off the moon."

Scarlet chuckled. "Trivia book?"

"Mother." Sarah replied.

"Ah, I'll have to remember that then."

Through the night, Sarah thought about many things, but one thing in particular kept invading her mind. Or rather, one _person_. Alma was constantly creeping back into her thoughts and the blue-and-red tiger couldn't help but smile. At last, the sun began rising and Sarah made her way back through the trees to the house, swiftly climbing through her window and dressing in her evening gown. Climbing into bed, Sarah decided to get a few more hours of sleep before waking up again to join the others for training.

Unbeknownst to Sarah, the boys were finished setting up the cage deep in the forest and were waiting for her to come down.

"Now, just act the way you normally would in the mornings." Mr. Handler told them sternly. "She mustn't know that we're onto her or the entire thing could blow up in our faces and we'd be next. Understood?" Bailey nodded obediently, but Will took a few seconds before nodding as well.

"Good, your mother and I will be out in the pastures if you need us." With that, he left out the back door. Minutes later, Sarah walked down the stairs, yawning and stretching, completely dressed and ready to go.

"So, how was the full moon last night?" Bailey inquired nonchalantly.

"Good morning to you too, grumpy." Sarah giggled. "My night was fine. I stared at the moon all night and talked to Scarlet."

"No feeding?" Will asked curiously.

"No." Sarah said slowly, giving them an odd look. "I already told you guys that I don't eat until the third night of the full moon. If I don't, then I'm extremely aggressive and moody for the next month. Why so curious about my habits?"

"No reason." Will replied, opening the newspaper and scanning the comics.

"We're just nosy." Bailey chuckled.

Sarah laughed and began eating her breakfast of bacon and sausage. Will gave Bailey a 'thank you' look and Bailey replied with a shrug and a smile.

A knock on the door signaled that someone had arrived and Sarah glanced at the door questioningly. "That's weird; usually the others aren't here until I've finished eating." She stood and walked to the door, opening it with a smile on her face. Only her reflexes and instinct prevented the hand aiming for her face from hitting its mark.

"Chloe?" Sarah's eyes narrowed slightly. "What's wrong with you?"

"You're what's wrong!" Chloe snapped. "You're all wrong. Ever since you came, everything's been wrong!"

Another slap was aimed, but before it could make contact, Sarah's hand was up to catch the wrist. "Why do you keep trying to hit me?" she demanded. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

"Yes you have! Or can you not remember anything from your tiger form, catgirl?"

"What do my changes have to do with anything?" Sarah growled.

"You ripped into Zoey last night, you animal!" Chloe roared.

Sarah's eyes turned angry. "I didn't _rip_ into anyone last night. I was staring at the moon with Scarket."

"Oh sure." Chloe snorted. "That's what you say you were doing, but that doesn't make it true."

"Neither does saying she did it without having been there to see it!"

Sarah's heart lifted slightly at the heated voice. "Hey Alma!" Sarah called.

"Hey Sarah." Alma replied curtly, still glaring at Chloe. Sarah noticed a large handprint bruise on her cheek and wondered where it could have come from. Alma's parents weren't the abusive type, they were sweet kind people.

"You wanna finish where we left off last night, _chica_?" Chloe asked, mocking Alma's heritage.

"Are you gonna talk or hit me again so I have a reason to fight someone as low as you?" Alma demanded, putting her hands on her hips. This was a shock to Sarah and the anger immediately boiled over.

"You _hit_ her?" Sarah snarled, stepping in front of Alma protectively and crouching slightly.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed again and she saw a shudder pass through Chloe. "How dare you?" she growled, the growl much more prominent than the words themselves. "I should tear you in half and rip out your spinal cord." Calming slightly, Sarah stood straight and crossed her arms. "But I won't because that would make me as low as you."

Turning to her friend, Sarah's expression softened. "Come on, Alma. Let's get some ice for that bruise, it smells inflamed."

Alma nodded, still glaring at Chloe, and allowed Sarah to tug her into the house. Bailey and Will had disappeared, but Sarah took no notice as she opened the freezer and grabbed a few ice cubes before snatching a paper towel and folding the ice into it; as gently as she could, Sarah pressed the makeshift icepack to Alma's bruised cheek.

Alma welcomed the soothing chill and held her hand over Sarah's for a moment. "Thank you."

"No." Sarah said softly. "Thank you, for standing up for me."

Just then, Bailey and Will walked down the stairs. Sarah felt a growl building in her throat and she sat Alma down so that the Latina could hold the icepack as she stalked over to the boys.

"That's why you were asking about my transformation." she snarled.

"What are you talking about?" Will inquired as calmly as he could.

"You thought that I'd killed Zoey!"

"No Sarah, we didn't!" Bailey told her consolingly. "We just wanted to rule you out so that no one got suspicious."

Sarah huffed and her eyes stayed narrowed a moment longer, trying to determine if they were lying. She wished she had her parents' ability to smell lies, but-. Sarah felt a pang of loneliness at the thought of her parents and sighed. "Whatever. I think I'll take Scarlet for a run through the woods."

Alma and the boys watched as Sarah strode out the door. Alma glared at the boys angrily. "How could you make her feel terrible like that?" she demanded. "Sarah has done nothing wrong!"

"You don't know that for sure, Alma!" Bailey snapped while Will rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Before Molly gave us that whole werewolf idea, we all would have thought this was a wildcat that did this. Now you're jumping to our friend. I think I'm going to take Button for a quick sprint through the hills."

The Latina walked back outside and left the boys alone to think. They figured that Chloe had gone to find their parents so they had a few minutes to think before Molly arrived. When the African American girl arrived, they explained the situation to her and Molly also got upset with them, but she agreed to a training session with them. That would give everyone time to think on what would happen in three nights' time.

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><p><em><strong>There you are, faithful readers. I hope you liked it. Drop me a review so I know. I also love it when you g=fav and follow. Thanks for the support guys!<strong>_


	11. Chapter 11

**_And we're back again! Hey guys, sorry about the delay in uploads, but I'm back again and totally ready to continue this fic. I hope you haven't given up on me yet. ;) Enjoy the chapter because you'll hate my by the end._**

**_I don't own Horseland._**

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><p>"I mean, what's wrong with them? I wouldn't attack anyone!" Sarah paced angrily in front of her mare as she ranted about her friends. "I specifically <em>told<em> them that I wouldn't attack anyone and here they are accusing me of attacking Zoey. There are _tons_ of wildcats around here. Why weren't any of _them_ questioned about their nightly habits? It's unfair."

"That's the way humans are, Sapphiera." Scarlet murmured. "They jump to what they don't understand or what they fear most."

"But I used to just be the nice rich girl!" Sarah roared, scratching her massive claws along a tree. "Why do they have to do this to me? It's the third night of my cycle and I still haven't eaten. The anger is eating at me more than the actual hunger is."

"Sapphy, you know what happens when you don't eat." Scarlet warned.

"Relax, Scarlietta, that was one accident."

"Either way you should eat."

"I'm not hungry!" Sarah snapped.

"Eat anyway!" Scarlet retorted.

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES! _Eat!_"

Sarah backed down and grumbled as she snagged a nearby chipmunk and crunched down on it grumpily.

"There." she grumbled.

Scarlet sighed and folded her legs, sitting beside her Partner. "Look, Sapph. I know it's hard, especially with them continually jumping to you as the only plausible option, but you have Alma and Molly on your side. They are cool-headed and know what they're doing. Just give it time."

Sarah sighed as well and nuzzled her nose against Scarlet's flank. "Thanks Scar. I won't give up hope yet."

The two saw the first rays of sunlight slowly appearing along the horizon and stood. But before they went anywhere, familiar scents drifted to them.

"Come on!" Bailey's voice hissed.

"Stop it!" Chloe snarled. "Get your filthy hands off me."

"Just stay quiet so no one will hear."

"I don't see why it has to be all the way out here."

"Ugh! You're insufferable sometimes."

Sarah and Scarlet glanced at each other curiously before following behind the pair. Bailey and Chloe stumbled through the wood, continuing their bickering as they went a little deeper. Finally, they arrived at a large clearing with a huge cage. Sarah froze at the sight of the cage, but her curiosity made her want to see what was inside. Using the last few rays of moonlight to her advantage, she slunk forward as a tiger to get a closer look. By the time she realized it was a trap, it was too late.

As she twitched in pain from the effects of the change, Bailey and Will hauled her into the cage. She stood again with a towel covering her as she watched them tie Scarlet to the ground.

"Scarlietta!" she shouted.

"Sapphiera!"

Slowly, Molly and Mr. and Mrs. Handler came into view as well. Mr. Handler helped Will get Scarlet to her feet and attach some reins to her while Bailey approached the cage with a change of clothes and some pajamas. Sarah banged on the bars as hard as she could, but they wouldn't budge.

"Bailey!" she cried. "Please don't do this!"

Bailey sighed. "I'm sorry, Sarah, but we can't have dangerous animals like you roaming the ranch. It's a hazard to the other riders and, more importantly, the horses. We'll just keep you in there until your parents come back."

"But you promised!" Sarah shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You promised you wouldn't be like Ponyville."

Bailey looked at her sadly and shook his head. "I guess that's one promise I had to break."

"But what about Scarlet?" Sarah demanded. "Who's going to take care of her?"

"We're setting Scarlet free, into the plains a few miles west of here."

"No!" Sarah screamed. "You can't do that! I need Scarlet!"

Bailey only shook his head and began guiding Scarlet away. "No!" Sarah tried to reach through the bars, but they were too close together and she couldn't catch her Arabian's reins.

Scarlet whinnied unhappily and her eyes locked with Sarah's. "I'll come back for you, Sapphiera."

Sarah stared after her Guardian animal and felt her heart break to see them loading Scarlet onto a trailer. She sank to her knees at the bottom of the cage and began sobbing. Molly approached the bars and gazed at her distraught friend.

"Sarah, we really ARE sorry…"

Sarah lifted her head, glaring at the African American girl. "My parents aren't **_coming_** back, Molly." Sarah hissed. "They sent me a letter the other day telling me that they were going to continue traveling. They thought Bailey and his parents would look after me. They were wrong."

Sarah stood and walked over to the slightly shorter girl, continuing to glare at her through the bars. "You've taken everything from me; my home, my horse, my spirit. Why keep me alive anymore?"

Molly looked up into the saddened eyes of the blonde and tried to think up an answer. "W-well, you're our friend-."

Sarah snarled at that. "If I was your friend, you wouldn't go back on your promise to me. You wouldn't have taken the only member of my family away from me and set her into some foreign terrain. You're not my friends anymore. Now? Now you're just my owners." Sarah moved as far away from Molly as she could and sat with her back facing the other girl.

"We're sorry." Molly murmured before leaving.

Sarah sniffed and looked around at the trees surrounding her. "Scarlietta!" she cried, screaming to the sky for her Guardian to return to her.

"I feel bad about locking Sarah away like that." Alma sighed. "She's supposed to be our friend; how can we do this to her?"

"Her parents should be back soon." Bailey murmured, sitting down in a chair.

"No they shouldn't." Molly whispered. "They left her here thinking your family would take care of her. She told me so."

Bailey's eyes saddened even more at that and he looked to his cousin. Will had his head bent as he faced the window where it was slowly beginning to rain. "W-we did it for protection." The blonde boy mumbled. "We did it to protect the horses. To protect ourselves from a vicious monster."

"Yeah," Bailey agreed, relieved to have an excuse. "I mean, look at what she did to Zoey. That could have happened to us as well."

"But Sarah said that she didn't attack humans." Alma pointed out. "She'd never tasted a human's blood so she had no reason to hunt them. She told us that she usually spent the first night of her cycle staring at the moon, the second night watching the animals around her, and the third night hunting. Zoey was attacked on the first night and we didn't move in until after she was finished with her changes."

"But she could have lied about her cycle schedule." Bailey pointed out desperately.

"But why would she need to?" Molly asked. "She was telling us the entire truth behind what she did on the full moon. She completely opened herself up to us and we betrayed her by sticking her in that cage."

Will shook his head with a sigh. "I'm going to bed."

Molly, Alma and Bailey watched him go and they too sighed. "What are we going to do?" Alma asked.

"What can we do?" Bailey countered dejectedly. "Only my parents can open those locks so there's no way we can sneak her out." Over the pounding of thunder, the three friends could hear the sound of roaring; it sounded like a wounded cat calling for help.

"I guess we'll have to think more about it in the morning." Bailey said heavily. "Come on, you girls can stay in the spare room, Sarah was in."

The girls nodded and followed Bailey to the spare room.

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><p><em><strong>Yeah, I know, you guys hate me. But tell me anyway! I wanna see what you think of this new development.<strong>_


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry for such a long wait guys, but I'm back now so enjoy chapter... I forget what number, but it's here. :)**

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><p>Scarlet looked around at all of the other horses on the plains here. They had all been so nice in welcoming her here, but Scarlet wasn't sure if she should be here. Sarah needed her there in Horseland, not here on some grassy plains with other horses that knew nothing of her true nature. They were all very nice to her, but Scarlet knew that she didn't belong with them.<p>

Trotting over to a nearby palomino mare, Scarlet said, "Could you help me get off these plains?"

The mare looked at her in confusion. "Why would you want to leave?"

"I need to get back to my Partner. She needs me."

"But isn't she the one that brought you here?"

"No, we were forced apart. She really needs me with her. I'm the only thing that can keep her together. I've been trained for this since I was a calf. Please help me?"

The mare cocked her head for a moment before sighing and nodding. "We'll help you get back to your owner, but you're making a mistake."

Scarlet gave her a small smile and said, "No, I'm righting what's been wronged."

The mare shook her head with a snort and the two began running toward the edge of the plains. Before they could get very far, nets began capturing all of the horses around them. Scarlet gasped as men in camouflage outfits began advancing on the group and she tried to help the other horses out of the nets before they got too close. The material was thick, but after a few bites, Scarlet's enhanced teeth cut through it and she freed the trapped horses.

Unfortunately, the men in camouflage had been given enough time to get close and a dart sank itself into her pelt. Scarlet reached around and snagged its tail, pulling it from her flank. She began running after the herd, but more darts shot her way and she couldn't keep up. Falling on her side, Scarlet watched the herd run to the other end of the plains as men surrounded her.

As the unconsciousness tugged at her mind, Scarlet heard one of the men say one word. "Perfect."

Sarah awoke from a horrifying nightmare. "Scarlietta?" she cried, looking around for her Guardian. "Scarlietta?"

Sarah glanced wildly around, but all she saw were trees and cold steel bars. "No!" Running at the bars, Sarah tried ramming them, but they wouldn't budge. Attempting to pull them apart, Sarah panted with the effort of trying to bend the heavy steel.

"No! I have to help her!"

Sarah continued pushing and pulling on the bars, trying vainly to get them to budge, but they were too tough. After several long minutes of futile work, Sarah collapsed to the floor of the cage and began sobbing again.

"Scarlietta!" she screamed. "Scarlietta!"

In the morning, Alma slowly made her way to Sarah's cage with a platter full of meat. Sarah was sniffling as she looked off into the trees in the general direction the trailer had taken Scarlet.

"Sarah?" The blonde turned with hard eyes and nodded at the Latina. "I-I brought you some food."

Sarah shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

Alma shifted slightly. "It's just in case you get hungry." She slowly slid the plate through the open space between the bars and the bottom of the cage. Sarah snorted and stared at Alma. The Latina sat on the ground near the cage and stared at her friend.

"Sarah, I didn't want to put you into the cage. The others told me that it was the only option, but I still don't like it. You aren't supposed to treat your friends like this, especially after you promised not to."

"You didn't even tell me why I'm in the cage." Sarah muttered bitterly, biting into a piece of beef. "They just moved in without giving me any kind of explanation. How can I feel even the slightest bit guilty if I don't know what I did?"

Alma was about to reply when a snide voice came from the direction of the path. "As if you don't know!"

Sarah stood, quickly swallowing her meat and glaring at the form of Chloe that had just stepped from behind a tree. "What are you talking about?" Sarah demanded, backing away slightly just in case Chloe tried to attack her with a stick.

"You attacked Zoey!" Chloe shouted, storming toward the cage.

"I didn't **attack** anyone!" Sarah shouted back, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes you did! Zoey was all scratched up when we found her. She's still in the infirmary!"

"It couldn't have been me!" Sarah countered. "I don't eat humans."

"You're the only cat-animal we know of that goes hunting on the full moon." Chloe pointed out, crossing her arms now as well.

"I'm not the only cat in the woods." Sarah argued. "Did you think a bobcat might have done it? My claws are three inches longer than a bobcat's!"

Chloe snorted and rolled her eyes. "Like anyone is crazy enough to go near you in that animal form of yours."

"If Bailey is willing, I'll let him measure my claws then."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Whatever. I doubt Bailey will be that stupid."

With a huff and a flip of her platinum blonde hair, Chloe turned on her heel and headed back towards Horseland. Sarah sighed and slid to the floor of the cage once more.

Alma had watched the entire thing in awe and now she approached the cage and sat down just outside of it. "I-I'll measure your c-claws." the Spanish girl said softly.

"Huh?" Sarah asked, her head lifting so she could look at the other girl.

"I said that I would measure your claws if it meant proving you innocent."

A small smile made its way onto Sarah's face. "Thank you, Alma. You're a true friend."

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><p><strong>See, Alma's still on her side, natrally. Review and tell me how you liked this latest of chapters.<strong>


	13. Chapter 13

_**I don't own Horseland.**_

_**I'm pleasantly surprised at the sheer number of people who read this fic. I'm also incredibly happy that you all want me to continue as soon as possible. For you wonderful people, I decided that I would update two chapters today instead of one. Yes, just for y'all. Hope you enjoy them!**_

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><p>"You want to <em>what?<em>"

Alma set her jaw and stood her ground as the others stared at her incredulously, "I want to measure Sarah's claws to prove she's innocent." the Latina repeated slowly.

"But how can you prove that she's innocent just by measuring her claws?" Molly asked, puzzled.

"When Sarah was arguing with Chloe, she said that her claws were three inches longer than a bobcat's. If we can prove this statement true, we might be able to prove her innocent."

"But what if she's lying to us about that just so one of us can get close enough for her to attack again?" Bailey inquired.

"Well, I'm willing to take that chance in order to save a friend from a life in a cage." Alma said firmly.

"But how are we going to get close enough to measure her claws?" Molly asked.

"If we could let her out of the cage on the full moon and tie her to something so she couldn't get free, I'd be able to get close enough to restrain her so that Alma could get a length." Will volunteered.

Bailey stared at his cousin incredulously before sighing in defeat and nodding. "Fine, when the next full moon comes around, we'll check her claws."

"The only problem would be getting the keys from your parents." Molly pointed out.

Bailey and Will shared a glance. "You just leave that to us." Will chuckled.

They all nodded and broke to begin training. Molly and Alma were very obviously worried about their friend in the cage, their frequent glances to the forest giving an indication as to where their thoughts were.

Molly was being torn apart by guilt. _Had I not brought up the idea of her being a werewolf, we wouldn't even know that she was a weretiger and no one would have jumped to the conclusion that she had attacked Zoey. This is all my fault, but I don't know how to make it right again._

Alma's thoughts were the complete opposite, blaming instead the people who were directly responsible for her friend being in the cage. _How could they do that to her? She's only a teenager, no different than their own son. She hasn't done anything to any of us. Sarah deserves better than this... and I'll do whatever I can to get her out of that cage._

Bailey and Will were more focused on the task at hand, coming up with different excuses as to why they should have the keys. Will wondered if they could simply take the keys while his aunt and uncle were sleep. Sighing, the two boys decided to focus on their training and deal with this later.

_**...**_

Scarlet awoke with a groan, looking around cautiously before getting to her hooves. She was in an unrecognizable stable cell. Walking to the door, the Arabian mare looked around and saw people bustling along, getting ready for something. There were people setting up tents and others posting up signs and some were cooking food to be wrapped and heated. And there were horses, lots and lots of horses, being led around poles, over jumps, and along trails. Trainers were making sure the horses got through the stunts while groomers cleaned, watered and fed the resting animals.

"What is going on here?" Scarlet muttered.

"You're being sold." a voice replied.

"What?" Scarlet asked, looking to her left and seeing a grinning brown-and-cream-colored colt looking up at her proudly.

"You're at a horse sale. The humans are selling horses to riders and farmers and whatnot."

"But why am_ I_ here?" Scarlet continued. "I should be out in the field getting back to my Partner."

"Well, from the way you look, I'd guess you'd be categorized as a riding horse. They'll begin training you as soon as they realize you're awake." As if on cue, a groomer walked over to the stall with a pail of water and one of hay.

"I have to go." the colt said. "See you around."

The groomer slowly opened the stall door, testing to see if Scarlet would attack before moving inside. Scarlet moved away from him irritably and pawed the ground nervously as he set down some brushes.

"Ok girl," the groomer said, slowly approaching Scarlet with a brush.

Scarlet pawed the ground again and the groomer hesitated. She eyed him warily, wondering what was going on in his head. He slowly came forward and began brushing her; for her part, Scarlet stayed perfectly still until he was completely finished. When he backed away from her, she shook her head slightly and pawed the ground again, looking at him suspiciously as he moved the buckets closer to her.

"Eat up, girl. You'll begin your training soon."

Scarlet wished she could raise an eyebrow in this form, but conceded to just snorting and leaning down to graze at the hay.

_Training, huh? Well, I'll show them how much I've been trained. If I play my horseshoes right, this could work in my favor. Why don't humans make collars for horses again? I wouldn't be here if they did._

Once Scarlet was fed and watered, the groomer took the buckets and left the stall. Scarlet walked back to the door of her stall and looked about. People were still setting up tents, but the majority seemed to be ready to open. Scarlet wondered what would happen to her if she were bought by another person. She would still make her way back to Sapphiera, but she needed a way to do that.

A large wily man walked forward and approached her cautiously. "Hey girl. Ready to start your training?"

Scarlet whinnied in reply, waiting for what she obviously had to do. A quick spur of the man's heels into her side had the mare starting off at a slow trot, building in speed until she was galloping rings around the training area. The trainer smiled and pulled on the reins slightly, getting her to turn.

The Arabian turned toward the first pole and made her way toward it, already calculating a plan in her head. _If I show off some skills while a group of customers walks by... wait, how will I know if they're customers and not simply people who work at the fair? I'll just have to show off every time a group of people comes by then. The more I show off, hopefully the sooner I'll be bought. I just hope whoever buys me doesn't take me too far away from Horseland. Sapphiera needs me soon._

Scarlet shuddered at the thought of what could happen if she wasn't there with her Partner. So many horrifying scenarios played through her mind that she almost forgot that she was running toward an obstacle. Jumping at the last moment, Scarlet just barely made it over the pole, cursing her absentmindedness as she did.

"Whoa there, girl." The training breathed, stroking her mane soothingly. "Looks like you're definitely a trained horse, but not far enough in your training yet."

Scarlet's ears flicked and she turned her head to spy a relatively small group of people coming toward her ring. Some were holding cameras so perhaps they were being guided around the fairgrounds. Setting her resolve, Scarlet began moving toward the next obstacles, gaining speed as she did. She could hear the trainer whistling above her, but if she didn't do this, then she couldn't get back to Sapphiera in time.

Taking a deep breath, Scarlet began twisting and turning her body around the barrels, leaping over the poles as if it were just a normal training day with her Partner. Eyes narrowing and ears flattening against her head, Scarlet built speed once more as she made her way toward the last obstacle, five poles stacked high. Gathering all of her strength together, the Arabian made a bound for the top, her hooves just scraping the top bar as she glided over it.

Landing as smoothly as she normally would, Scarlet panted, sucking in deep breaths as she turned her gaze to the tourists who were applauding her performance. _I did it._ She thought to herself, feeling ready to collapse from the exertion. _I've made a good impression. I'm coming Sapphiera. I'll be there soon. I promise. _

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><p><em><strong>The team's being dragged down by their own guilt and Scarlet's pushing herself to get sold. Hope y'all enjoyed this and I'll be getting to the next chapter very soon.<strong> _

**_If you wanna hear about news and get sneak peeks of new material coming out, I'm now on Tumblr (gothalbinoangel-fiction), Twitter ((a)gothalbinoangel), a Facebook (Goth Albino Angel) and an Archive of Our Own account (GothAlbinoAngel). There are more details on my profile._**


	14. Chapter 14

**_Hey guys, back with another chapter! And it didn't take a year this time! Only five months and eleven days later. Hopefully, by now, you guys know I'm in college, so writing is something I'm not doing very often, but don't worry. I am continuing to write just for you guys. Enjoy the chapter, yeah?_**

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><p>A few days later, the sale was ready to open. Customers had been lining up and were finally allowed to roam about the fairgrounds in order to observe the horses they wished to buy. Scarlet waited patiently for someone to come by and ask to see her perform. She looked like a riding horse, after all.<p>

Roughly sometime around mid-morning, as she was taking a drink from her water trough, there was a group of people heading for her stall and they seemed very interested in her. A woman with a flowing purple dress took a picture of her.

"Hey guide!" A large man with a stubby beard called. "How much for that beautiful black mare?"

"We're not sure yet. Didn't get the pretty girl til two nights ago."

"Well, can we see if she's had any training before?" a woman in a red shirt and jeans called.

"Sure thing, Miss. Hey Marc, come take this one out. The people wanna see how she rides."

A tall man with ropey muscles moved to Scarlet's stall. "Now stay back, folks." He warned. "As George said, we got her just a few nights ago. We gotta be cautious in case she's too wild to control. The trainers are okay on her, but we don't know how she'll react to so many people." The crowd obediently stayed back as the man, Marc, opened the door to Scarlet's stall. The mare stared at him lazily as he set about putting some reins on her.

Slowly, Marc led her from the stall and toward the training arena. This is exactly what Scarlet needed. If she's seen as a competition horse, she's likely to be in the newspaper with whoever her new owner would be. She just had to show that she was worth enough money and time to be in that newspaper.

Marc handed her off to one of the trainers, a pretty redhead with slightly tanned skin and green eyes. The woman climbed atop Scarlet and kicked her into gear. The mare, trotted toward the first bar before backing away, whinnying in 'fear'. "Easy girl, come on, you can do it."

Scarlet backed away and tried again, this time running at the bar and effortlessly going over it. "Keep going, girl. We have to put on a good show to get you a good home." Scarlet continued and raced around the barrels, leaping over the bars and giving just a little effort to grazing the bars of the highest jumps.

The crowd watching her had grown bigger and by the time she finished, several people were clamoring to buy her.

"One hundred fifty!" someone shouted.

"Three hundred." someone else countered.

"Three hundred fifty." Another wagered.

"Now wait a moment, folks." George called as Marc helped the rider off Scarlet so he could take her to her stall. "The bidding for this girl doesn't start until two o'clock. That gives you an hour to explore more horses just in case this one isn't really the one you want."

The crowd agreed and dispersed, going to observe colts and stallions and the other mares. Scarlet let the groomer from before feed and water her while he brushed her pelt. "You did very well out there, you know." He chuckled. "You'll bring in a hefty load if that crowd's any indication. You're a good horse. I'd buy you myself if I could afford you."

Once Scarlet was finished eating, the groomer left her alone and the mare folded her legs. She had done it. She'd shown that crowd that she was one of the best. Now, at two o'clock, someone was going to buy her and she would be entered into a competition within a few weeks. Hopefully soon enough for someone from Horseland to see that she'd been bought. Slipping into sleep, Scarlet let herself rest before a loud bell woke her up a few hours later. "Ladies and gentlemen! Get ready because the auction will begin shortly!"

"They couldn't have at least made it a little less loud for animals with better hearing than themselves?" Scarlet grumbled, yawning and snorting to dispel any dust from her nose. A trainer strode up to her stall and grabbed her reins. "Come along, girl." He urged gently, slowly guiding her from the stall.

Scarlet followed him calmly, despite how grumpy she was at the manner with which she was woken. The trainer led her over to a podium and guided her up the ramp so that she was on display for the crowd to see. A groomer did some last minute brushing of her mane and coat and set a bucket of oats off to the side before stepping back as the auctioneer moved forward.

"Alrighty, folks!" he called loudly to the gathered crowd. "This fine beauty here is a purebred Arabian mare with background training before being released into the wild. She's docile and friendly and just fine dealing with crowds. A wonderful competition horse if ever I saw one!"

There were murmurs through the crowd as bidders grew quickly interested. "Shall we start the bidding at three hundred?"

"Three ten!" someone in the crowd called.

"We have a three ten, do I hear three twenty?" the auctioneer called, getting into the sale.

"Three thirty!" someone called near the back.

"We have three thirty, do I hear three forty, anyone?"

"Three forty!" shouted a woman in the front.

"Three forty, do I hear three fifty?"

"Three seventy!" yelled a man with a large hat.

"Three seventy, ladies and gentlemen. Do I hear three eighty?"

Scarlet zoned out of the bidding, not really caring how high the bidding went as it was a waste of money for whoever were to buy her. _I feel bad for whoever gets the winning bid. _she sighed._ But I already have a Partner that needs me and I can't stay just because someone lost money on a stolen horse._

A thin lanky man in a forest green and light gray pin-striped shirt and thick pants walked out of the crowd, raising his hand. "I'd like to buy her for five hundred fifty dollars."

The auctioneer grinned and called, "Going once for five hundred fifty. Going twice… SOLD to the man in the pin-striped shirt."

"Come along, Hamilton, I'll pay the nice man while you go ahead up to the horse." The young black-haired boy-no more than twelve if Scarlet had to guess-scampered up to Scarlet and slowly reached out a hand, petting her side.

"She's a pretty one, Dad." he called to his father, who was paying the auctioneer and getting instructions. "I can't wait to ride her. Can I ride her home?"

"No, son." the lanky man said sternly. "Let's get her into her trailer so we can head home. Your mother will want to see a fine horse."

"Okay, Dad." Hamilton sighed. "Come on, girl. Let's get you home. On the way, I can figure out what to name you."

Scarlet snorted slightly as she was led to the trailer waiting for her. _They give buyers their own trailers now?_ She wondered absently as she walked inside. _That's a bit unorthodox. I suppose it must be to draw in more people. I hope these people don't live too far away. Sapphiera needs me by the next full moon. If someone hasn't come for me by then, I'll be forced to use my own full moon strength to find her. _

Sighing as her mind dwelled on the worries of a month to come, Scarlet allowed herself to relax as she was transported to who knew where. So long as she could get back to her Partner, she didn't care where she went.

**_..._**

"Do you have a plan to get the keys for tomorrow night?" Alma asked the boys quietly as they began putting the horses away for the day.

"Yeah." Bailey nodded. "Will's going to cook something with sleeping herbs in it. Once Mom and Dad are sleep, we'll grab the keys from their room and head to the forest. Are you sure you want to do this, though?"

"I'm positive." the Latina replied. "If it means proving Sarah innocent, I will do anything I can."

"But what if she isn't innocent?" Bailey inquired. "What will you do if she attacks?"

"Sarah's my friend." Alma stated. "She would never attack me."

Bailey sighed and shook his head. "I hope you're sure about that, Alma. I would hate for something to happen to any of us out there."

"Just make certain you have the rope ready." Alma told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just in case."

Bailey nodded and followed the others from the stable. Alma stayed a little longer, stroking Button's mane for comfort. "You miss Scarlet, huh, Button?" she asked softly, to which the mare whinnied sadly. "I miss them too, girl. But we're going to get them back, one way or another. I promise."

Button nuzzled her hand affectionately and Alma chuckled, petting her nose before heading from the stable and closing the doors, her jaw set. Now, all she needed to do was formulate her excuse for staying overnight tomorrow. Looking to the woods, she felt her heart tug. _I'm going to get you out of that cage, Sarah._ she thought firmly. _I made a promise, after all. And I intend to keep it._

* * *

><p><em><strong>And there you have it. I'm sorry it took so long and I'm working out a schedule as we speak, but just know, I'm in college and I have work to do so don't expect updates as often as you would want them to be... and don't hold me to any of my updates cause things happen.<strong>_

_**Aside from that, just wanted to let you guys know I'm now on Tumblr (gothalbinoangel-fiction), Twitter ((a)gothalbinoangel), a Facebook (Goth Albino Angel) and an Archive of Our Own account (GothAlbinoAngel). There are more details on my profile.**_


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